JP2018132797A - Program and portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal program that can appropriately notify a user of an external program with which an image processing apparatus designated by the user can be effectively used.SOLUTION: A terminal program causes a portable terminal to execute: first reception processing (S24) of receiving a user operation designating one of a plurality of image processing apparatuses as a designated apparatus; acquisition processing of acquiring designated apparatus information including a set of an operation ID and a program ID; first display processing (S12) of displaying, on a display, a first screen including a first start-up object corresponding to a target program; and first start-up processing (S26) of starting up the target program in response to reception of a user operation designating the first start-up object (S20).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a program for a portable terminal that causes an image processing apparatus to execute an image processing operation.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal program that causes an image processing apparatus to execute an image processing operation. Further, the terminal program disclosed in Patent Literature 1 can start an external program that substitutes for the function of the terminal program, an external program that supplements the function of the terminal program, or the like. More specifically, the external program includes an interface that provides an interface for editing image data to be subjected to an image processing operation, and an external program specialized for a part of functions implemented in the terminal program.

JP 2012-203742 A

  In recent years, the number of external programs published on the Internet has been increasing. That is, even if there is an external program that provides a convenient function for the user, it is difficult to find the external program.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an external program that can effectively use an image processing device designated by a user in a program that causes an image processing device to execute an image processing operation. It is to provide a technique for appropriately informing.

  Various disclosures are provided herein. A program that is an example of the disclosed example can be executed by a mobile terminal that includes a communication interface, an input interface, and a display. The program includes a first reception process for accepting a user operation for designating one of a plurality of image processing apparatuses communicable through the communication interface as a designation apparatus through the input interface, and a set of an operation ID and a program ID. The portable terminal is caused to execute an acquisition process for acquiring specified device information including the specified device information. The operation ID identifies a target operation that is an image processing operation that can be executed by the designated device. The program ID identifies a target program that can instruct the designated device to perform the target operation among external programs that can be installed in the portable terminal. The program inputs a first display process for displaying a first screen including a first activation object corresponding to the target program on the display, and a user operation for designating an object displayed on the first screen. The portable terminal is caused to execute a second reception process that is accepted through the interface and a first activation process that activates the target program in response to the first activation object being designated in the second reception process.

  According to the above configuration, the first activation object corresponding to the target program that can instruct the target device to perform the target action among the external programs that can be installed in the mobile terminal is displayed on the first screen. That is, it is possible to make the user recognize the existence of an external program that can effectively use the function of the designated device among a large number of external programs published on the Internet. Since the target program is activated by designating the first activated object, the designated device can be used effectively with a simple user operation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 100 according to the present embodiment. 2A is a block diagram of the MFP 10, and FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the portable terminal 50. 3 is an example of information stored in the memories 32 and 62. (A) shows an operation list of the MFP 10A, (B) shows an operation list of the MFP 10B, and (C) shows a program list of the portable terminal 50. Show. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the main process. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the screen generation process. 6A shows a flowchart of the device selection process, and FIG. 6B shows a flowchart of the application introduction process. 7A and 7B are display examples of the display 53, where FIG. 7A shows a main screen in a state where a designated device is not designated, and FIG. 7B shows a main screen in a state where a designated device is designated. 8A and 8B are display examples of the display 53, where FIG. 8A shows a confirmation screen 120 superimposed on the main screen, and FIG. 8B shows an application introduction screen.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the execution order of each process described below can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 100 according to the present embodiment. A system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes MFPs 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as “MFP 10”) and a portable terminal 50. The MFP 10 and the portable terminal 50 are configured to be able to communicate through the communication network 101. The communication network 101 may be, for example, a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the MFP 10 and the mobile terminal 50 may be connected by a USB cable or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the MFP 10 includes a printer 11, a scanner 12, a display 23, an input I / F 24, a communication I / F 25, a CPU 31, a memory 32, and a communication bus 33. Prepare mainly. Each component constituting the MFP 10 is connected to each other through the communication bus 33. The MFP 10 is an example of an image processing apparatus.

  The printer 11 is hardware that executes a printing operation for recording an image indicated by image data on a recording medium. In this embodiment, an example of an ink jet printer 11 that records an image by discharging ink will be described. However, the recording method of the printer 11 may be an electrophotographic method or the like. The scanner 12 is hardware that executes a scan operation for reading an image recorded on a document and generating image data (hereinafter referred to as “scan data”). The print operation and the scan operation are examples of image processing operations.

  Note that specific examples of the image processing operation are not limited to these. The image processing operation may be, for example, a FAX transmission operation for FAX transmission of image data to an external device according to the FAX protocol, a FAX reception operation for FAX reception of image data from an external device according to the FAX protocol, or the like. The MFPs 10A and 10B only need to execute at least one operation. Further, the operations that can be executed by the MFPs 10A and 10B may be different.

  The printing operation includes a sheet printing operation for recording an image on a recording sheet as an example of a recording medium, and a label (for example, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.) as an example of the recording medium. Label printing operation for recording an image. In other words, the printer 11 of the MFP 10 capable of executing the label printing operation includes hardware for conveying the label as well as the recording paper at a recording position for recording an image on a recording medium.

  The scanning operation includes a sheet scanning operation that reads an image recorded on a recording sheet and generates scan data, and a label scanning operation that reads an image recorded on a label and generates scan data. That is, the MFP 10 capable of executing the label scanning operation has an image processing function for specifying the center position of the label on the image indicated by the scan data.

  The display 23 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and includes a display screen that displays various types of information.

  The input I / F 24 is a user interface that receives an input operation by a user. Specifically, the input I / F 24 includes a button, and outputs various operation signals associated with the pressed button to the CPU 31. Further, the input I / F 24 may include a film-like touch sensor superimposed on the display screen of the display 23. An operation for designating an object displayed on the display screen of the display 23 and an operation for inputting a character string or a numeric string are examples of user operations. The “object” is, for example, a character string, icon, button, link, radio button, check box, pull-down menu, or the like displayed on the display 23.

  The input I / F 24 realized as a touch sensor outputs position information indicating the position on the display screen touched by the user. Note that “touch” in this specification includes all operations for bringing an input medium into contact with a display screen. In addition, even if the input medium is not touching the display screen, “hover” or “floating touch” that brings the input medium close to a position where the distance to the display screen is very small is based on the above-mentioned concept of “touch”. May be included. Furthermore, the input medium may be a user's finger or a touch pen. The user operation for tapping the position of the object displayed on the display 23 is an example of a user operation for specifying the object.

  The communication I / F 25 is an interface that can communicate with an external device via the communication network 101. That is, the MFP 10 transmits various types of information to the external device through the communication I / F 25 and receives various types of information from the external device through the communication I / F 25. Although the specific communication procedure of communication I / F25 is not specifically limited, For example, Wi-Fi (trademark) is employable. Further, when the MFP 10 and the portable terminal 50 are connected by a USB cable, the communication I / F 25 may be a USB interface to which the USB cable can be attached and detached.

  The CPU 31 controls the overall operation of the MFP 10. The CPU 31 acquires and executes various programs, which will be described later, from the memory 32 based on various information output from the input I / F 24, various information received from an external device through the communication I / F 25, and the like. The CPU 31 and the memory 32 constitute an example of a controller.

  The memory 32 stores an OS 34 and a device program 35. The device program 35 may be a single program or a collection of a plurality of programs. The memory 32 stores data or information necessary for executing the device program 35. The memory 32 is configured by, for example, a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an HDD, a portable storage medium such as a USB memory attached to and detached from the MFP 10, a buffer provided in the CPU 31, or a combination thereof.

  The memory 32 may be a computer readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. Non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM in addition to the above examples. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electrical signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium that is a kind of computer-readable medium, but a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in the media. The same applies to the memory 62 of the portable terminal 50 described later.

  MIB (abbreviation of Management Information Base) of the memory 32 stores the device information shown in FIG. The device information includes a device ID for identifying the MFP 10 and an operation list shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B). The “device ID” may be in any format such as text format and binary format as long as the MFPs 10A and 10B can be uniquely identified on the communication network 101. The same applies to an operation ID and an application ID described later.

  The action list includes one or more action records. The operation record corresponds to one of image processing operations that can be executed by the MFP 10. That is, the MFP 10A identified by the apparatus ID “MFP-A” can execute the sheet print operation and the sheet scan operation identified by the operation ID “sheet print” and “sheet scan”. On the other hand, the MFP 10B identified by the apparatus ID “MFP-B” can execute the sheet print operation and the label print operation identified by the operation ID “sheet print” and “label print”.

  The operation record is an example of a set including an operation ID, an application ID, an application URL, and an instruction URL. However, the operation record may not include all of the application ID, the application URL, and the instruction URL. As an example, the operation record includes an operation ID, an application ID, and an application URL, and may not include an instruction URL. As another example, the operation record includes an operation ID and an instruction URL, and may not include an application ID and an application URL. The operation record is registered in the operation list by the developer of the MFP 10 when the MFP 10 is manufactured, for example.

  The operation ID identifies an image processing operation that can be executed by the MFP 10 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “target operation”). The application ID is expressed as an external program 66 (hereinafter referred to as “target program” or “target application”) that can instruct the MFP 10 of the image processing operation identified by the operation ID among the external programs 66 that can be installed in the portable terminal 50. This is an example of a program ID for identifying the The application URL is an example of first address information indicating the location of the execution file of the external program 66 identified by the application ID in a server (not shown) on the Internet. The instruction URL is an example of second address information indicating the location of a screen file (for example, an HTML file) indicating a procedure for causing the MFP 10 to execute the target operation in a server (not shown) on the Internet.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the portable terminal 50 mainly includes a display 53, an input I / F 54, a communication I / F 55, a CPU 61, a memory 62, and a communication bus 63. The display 53, input I / F 54, communication I / F 55, CPU 61, memory 62, and communication bus 63 included in the portable terminal 50 are the display 23, input I / F 24, communication I / F 25, CPU 31, memory included in the MFP 10. 32 and the communication bus 33, the description is omitted. The CPU 61 and the memory 62 are an example of a controller.

  The mobile terminal 50 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. More specifically, the display 53 of the mobile terminal 50 desirably has a display screen size of 12 inches or less, more preferably 8 inches or less. The input I / F 54 of the portable terminal 50 is preferably a touch sensor superimposed on the display screen of the display 53. The memory 62 stores an OS 64, a terminal program 65, one or more external programs 66, and an installer 67.

  The OS 64 may be, for example, Android (registered trademark) OS, iOS (registered trademark), Windows Phone (registered trademark) Operating System, or the like. The OS 64 can execute a plurality of programs installed in the portable terminal 50 in parallel. The plurality of programs are virtually executed in parallel by, for example, time division multiplexing. The OS 64 executes one of a plurality of programs executed in parallel in the foreground, and executes the other programs in the background.

  The foreground is a state in which, for example, a screen resulting from the execution of the program is displayed in a large part of the display area of the display 53. The background is a state in which, for example, a screen resulting from execution of a program different from the program is displayed in a large part of the display area of the display 53. That is, the portable terminal 50 can display only the screen based on the execution of the program executed in the foreground among the plurality of programs executed in parallel on the display 53.

  The terminal program 65 is a program that causes the MFP 10 connected through the communication I / F 55 to execute an image processing operation. More specifically, the terminal program 65 instructs the MFP 10 specified by the user through the input I / F 54 to execute the image processing operation specified by the user through the input I / F 54. Note that the terminal program 65 according to the present embodiment can cause the MFP 10 to execute a sheet print operation and a sheet scan operation, which are examples of corresponding operations, and perform a label print operation and a label scan operation, which are examples of non-compatible operations, to the MFP 10. Can not be executed.

  Further, the terminal program 65 can start the external program 66 installed in the mobile terminal 50. For example, the terminal program 65 designates the program ID of the external program 66 as an argument and executes an API provided by the OS 64 (hereinafter referred to as “startup API”). The OS 64 activates the external program 66 identified by the designated program ID in response to execution of the activation API. Note that the terminal program 65 may activate the external program 66 as a so-called plug-in, or may activate the external program 66 by a sharing function provided by the OS 64.

  The external program 66 is a program that runs on the same mobile terminal 50 as the terminal program 65. The external program 66 is a program that is separate from the terminal program 65 and can be executed independently. That is, the external program 66 is different from the subroutine of the terminal program 65. Further, the external program 66 activated by the terminal program 65 may execute a predetermined operation and deliver the execution result to the terminal program 65 as a return value of the activation API, or deliver the operation execution result to the terminal program 65. The processing may be completed without

  In the present embodiment, as a specific example of the external program 66, a print-only application, a label application, and a New Year's card application will be described. However, specific examples of the external program 66 are not limited to these. The external program 66 includes, for example, a function that is not implemented in the terminal program 65, a function that can easily implement the function implemented in the terminal program 65, and a further refinement of the function implemented in the terminal program 65. Etc.

  The print-dedicated application is an external program 66 specialized for causing the MFP 10 to execute a sheet print operation. More specifically, the print-dedicated application is a program that can instruct the MFP 10 only to perform a sheet print operation among a plurality of image processing operations. For example, the print-dedicated application uses a terminal program to execute a user operation necessary for causing the MFP 10 to execute a sheet print operation under default execution conditions (for example, size “A4”, paper type “plain paper”, color “color”). Less than 65. In addition, the print-dedicated application has, for example, more execution condition variations (for example, the number of items and the number of parameters of each item) that can be specified than the terminal program 65.

  The label application is an external program 66 specialized for causing the MFP 10 to execute a label print operation and a label scan operation. More specifically, the label application acquires the scan data generated by the label scan operation from the MFP 10, edits the acquired scan data in accordance with a user instruction, and performs a label print operation on the edited scan data on the MFP 10. Let it run. That is, the label application can instruct the MFP 10 to perform a label print operation and a label scan operation, which are operations that are not supported by the terminal program 65.

  The New Year's card application edits an image (hereinafter referred to as “communication surface image”) recorded on the communication surface of a postcard (typically, New Year's card) in accordance with the user's instructions, and the edited communication surface image is transmitted to the postcard. This is an external program 66 specialized for causing the MFP 10 to execute a sheet print operation to be recorded on the surface. The New Year's card application has, for example, more variations of instructions for editing the communication surface image (for example, combining a photograph, sender information, and an arbitrary character string into a template image) than the terminal program 65.

  The installer 67 is a program for installing the external program 66 in the portable terminal 50. For example, the installer 67 downloads an execution file of the designated external program 66 from a server on the Internet, and stores the downloaded execution file in a predetermined area of the memory 62. Since the functions implemented in the installer 67 are already known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the memory 62 can store a program list. The program list includes one or more program records. The program record is stored in the memory 62 when the terminal program 65 is installed, for example. The program record corresponds to one of a plurality of external programs 66 that can be activated by the terminal program 65. The program record includes an application ID and installation information.

  The application ID is an example of a program ID that identifies the external program 66. In other words, the print-dedicated application is identified by the application ID “print-dedicated”, the label application is identified by the application ID “label”, and the New Year's card application is identified by the application ID “New Year's card”. The installation information is information indicating whether or not the external program 66 identified by the application ID is installed in the portable terminal 50. The installation information according to the present embodiment indicates “not installed” indicating that the corresponding external program 66 is not installed on the mobile terminal 50, or indicates that the corresponding external program 66 is installed on the mobile terminal 50. “Installed” is set.

  Although not shown, the memory 62 can store designated device information. The designated device information is device information stored in the MIB of the MFP 10 designated in the device selection process described later. Hereinafter, the device ID included in the designated device information may be referred to as “designated device ID”, and the MFP 10 identified by the designated device ID may be represented as “designated device”. On the other hand, when the MFP 10 is not designated, the designated device information is not stored in the memory 62. The designated device information is an example of operation specifying information.

  Further, although not shown in the figure, the memory 62 may be provided with a data folder. For example, photo data, document data, presentation data, spreadsheet data, and the like may be stored in the data folder. Various data stored in the data folder is data that can be a target of the sheet print operation.

[Operation of System 100]
The operation of the system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. It is assumed that the designated device information is not stored in the memory 62 at the time of starting the main process of FIG. Further, it is assumed that the print-only application and the New Year's card application are already installed in the portable terminal 50, and the label application is not yet installed.

  The flowchart in this specification basically shows the processing of the CPUs 31 and 61 in accordance with the instructions described in the program. That is, processes such as “determination”, “extraction”, “selection”, “calculation”, “decision”, “specification”, and “control” in the following description represent processes of the CPUs 31 and 61. Processing by the CPUs 31 and 61 includes hardware control via the OSs 34 and 64. Further, “data” in this specification is represented by a bit string readable by a computer. Data having substantially the same semantic content but different formats are handled as the same data. The same applies to “information” in this specification.

  First, the OS 64 of the mobile terminal 50 displays a menu screen (not shown) on the display 53. The menu screen includes a program icon corresponding to the program installed in the portable terminal 50. That is, at least program icons corresponding to the terminal program 65, the print-dedicated application, and the New Year's card application are displayed on the menu screen. Then, the OS 64 receives a user operation on the menu screen through the input I / F 54.

  As an example, the OS 64 activates the New Year's card application and executes the New Year's card application in the foreground in response to receiving the designation of the program icon corresponding to the New Year's card application through the input I / F 54. As another example, the OS 64 activates the terminal program 65 and executes the terminal program 65 in the foreground in response to receiving the designation of the program icon corresponding to the terminal program 65 through the input I / F 54. Hereinafter, processing when a program icon corresponding to the terminal program 65 is designated will be described.

  The terminal program 65 executes the main process shown in FIG. 4 in response to being activated by the OS 64. First, the terminal program 65 executes screen generation processing (S11). The screen generation process is a process for generating a main screen described later. More specifically, the screen generation process is a process of determining icons to be included in the main screen. Details of the screen generation processing will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the terminal program 65 determines whether or not the designated device information is stored in the memory 62 (S31). Next, when the terminal program 65 determines that the designated device information is not stored in the memory 62 (S31: None), the operation icons 111 and 112 corresponding to the corresponding operation of the terminal program 65 are displayed on the main screen. Add (S32). Further, the terminal program 65 adds SC icons 113 and 114 corresponding to the external program 66 in which “installed” is set in the installation information to the main screen (S33). The action icon added to the main screen in S32 is an example of a second action object, and the SC icon added to the main screen in S33 is an example of a second activation object. On the other hand, the processing (S34 to S42) when the designated device information is stored in the memory 62 will be described later.

  Next, returning to FIG. 4, the terminal program 65 displays the main screen shown in FIG. 7A on the display 53 (S12). Further, the terminal program 65 determines whether or not the main screen displayed in S12 includes an installation icon described later (S13). When the terminal program 65 determines that the main screen does not include an installation icon (S13: none), the terminal program 65 skips the processing of S14 to S17 and accepts a user operation on the main screen through the input I / F 54. (S18-S23). The process of S12 for displaying the main screen in FIG. 7A is an example of a fourth display process. On the other hand, processing (S14 to S17) when the main screen includes an installation icon will be described later.

  The main screen illustrated in FIG. 7A is an example of a fourth screen including operation icons 111 and 112, circular SC icons 113 and 114, a switching icon 115, and an [app] icon 116. The operation icon 111 corresponds to an instruction to execute a sheet print operation, and the operation icon 112 corresponds to an instruction to execute a sheet scan operation. SC icon 113 corresponds to an instruction for starting a print-dedicated application, and SC icon 114 corresponds to an instruction to start a New Year's card application. The switching icon 115 corresponds to a switching instruction for the designated device. In the switching icon 115 when the designated device information is not stored in the memory 62, a character string “unselected” indicating that the designated device is not selected is described. [App] icon 116 corresponds to an instruction to display an application introduction screen described later.

  For example, when the terminal program 65 receives the designation of the SC icon 113 through the input I / F 54 (S20: Yes), the terminal program 65 activates the print-dedicated application associated with the SC icon 113 (S26). That is, the terminal program 65 executes an activation API by specifying an application ID for identifying a print-dedicated application as an argument. Then, the OS 64 ends the terminal program 65, activates the print-dedicated application, and executes the print-dedicated application in the foreground. When the main screen of FIG. 7A is displayed, the process of S20 is an example of a fourth reception process, and the process of S26 is an example of a second activation process.

  Although illustration is omitted, for example, the terminal program 65 needs to designate a designated device in response to accepting designation of the operation icon 111 shown in FIG. 7A through the input I / F 54. A notification screen is displayed on the display 53. Further, for example, the terminal program 65 executes a device selection process in response to receiving the designation of the switching icon 115 through the input I / F 54 (S18: Yes) (S24). The device selection process is a process of switching the designated device according to a user instruction. Details of the device selection process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the terminal program 65 searches for a plurality of MFPs 10 that can communicate through the communication I / F 55 using, for example, SNMP (abbreviation of Simple Network Management Protocol) (S51). Specifically, the terminal program 65 broadcasts transmission request information to the communication network 101 through the communication I / F 55. Next, the terminal program 65 receives the device information transmitted by the MFPs 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B as a response to the transmission request information through the communication I / F 55. That is, the terminal program 65 identifies the MFPs 10A and 10B that are the transmission sources of the device information as the communicable MFPs 10. Note that a method for searching for the communicable MFP 10 may be another known method.

  Next, the terminal program 65 displays a device selection screen (not shown) on the display 53 (S52). The device selection screen includes device icons corresponding to the MFPs 10A and 10B found in S51. Then, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation for the device selection screen through the input I / F 54 (S53). The process of S53 is an example of a first reception process.

  Then, for example, in response to receiving the designation of the device icon corresponding to the MFP 10B through the input I / F 54 (S53: Yes), the terminal program 65 stores the device information received from the MFP 10B in the memory 62 as designated device information. Store (S54). When the designated device information is already stored in the memory 62, the terminal program 65 overwrites the designated device information with new designated device information. The process of S54 is an example of an acquisition process.

  Next, returning to FIG. 4, the terminal program 65 executes the processing after S11. That is, in response to the determination that the designated device information is stored in the memory 62 in the screen generation process (S31: Yes), the terminal program 65 targets each operation record included in the designated device information as S34. The processes of S41 are executed in order.

  First, the terminal program 65 reads one of the operation records included in the designated device information (for example, the operation record including the operation ID “sheet print” in FIG. 3B) (S34). Then, the terminal program 65 determines whether the terminal program 65 can instruct the MFP 10 about the target operation “sheet print operation” indicated by the read operation record (S35). The process of S35 is an example of a first determination process. Then, the terminal program 65 adds an operation icon 111 corresponding to the execution instruction of the sheet print operation to the main screen in response to the determination that the terminal program 65 can instruct the sheet print operation (S35: Yes) ( S36). The action icon added to the main screen in S36 is an example of a first action object.

  Next, in response to determining that the processing of S34 to S41 for all operation records is not executed (S42: No), the terminal program 65 determines other operation records included in the designated device information. One (for example, an operation record including the operation ID “label print” in FIG. 3B) is read (S34). Next, in response to the terminal program 65 determining that the target program “label print operation” indicated by the read operation record is incapable of indicating (S35: No), the read operation record is the application ID. It is determined whether or not (S37). The process of S37 is an example of a third determination process.

  Next, when the terminal program 65 determines that the read operation record includes the application ID “label” (S37: present), the target application “label application” identified by the application ID “label” is It is determined whether or not it is installed in the portable terminal 50, that is, whether or not “installed” is set in the installation information corresponding to the application ID “label” (S39). The process of S39 is an example of a second determination process.

  Next, in response to determining that “not installed” is set in the label application installation information (S39: No), the terminal program 65 displays an installation icon 117 corresponding to the application URL of the read operation record. Add to the main screen (S41). The install icon added to the main screen in S41 is an example of an install object. Then, the terminal program 65 ends the screen generation process in response to determining that the processes of S34 to S41 for all operation records included in the designated device information have been executed (S42: Yes).

  Further, although the detailed description below is omitted, the terminal program 65 responds to the label application activation instruction in response to determining that “installed” is set in the installation information of the label application (S39: Yes). A corresponding SC icon is added to the main screen (S40). Further, when the terminal program 65 determines that the read operation record does not include the application ID (S37: None), the terminal program 65 adds an instruction icon corresponding to the instruction URL of the operation record to the main screen ( S38). The SC icon added to the main screen in S40 is an example of a first activation object, and the instruction icon added to the main screen in S38 is an example of a help object.

  Next, returning to FIG. 4, the terminal program 65 displays the main screen shown in FIG. 7B on the display 53 (S12). As shown in FIG. 7B, the main screen after the MFP 10B is designated as the designated device does not include the operation icon 112 and the SC icons 113 and 114 but includes a square-shaped installation icon 117 with rounded corners. In addition, it is different from FIG. 7A in that the designated device ID “MFP-B” is described in the switching icon 115. Although illustration is omitted, an instruction manual icon and an SC icon may be displayed on the main screen shown in FIG. 7B according to the determination results in S35 to S39. The main screen in FIG. 7B is an example of the first screen. The process of S12 for displaying the main screen in FIG. 7B is an example of a first display process.

  Next, the terminal program 65 determines whether or not the main screen displayed in S12 includes an installation icon (S13). Then, in response to determining that the main screen shown in FIG. 7B includes the installation icon 117 (S13: present), the terminal program 65 displays the confirmation screen 120 shown in FIG. (S14). Then, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation for the confirmation screen 120 through the input I / F 54 (S15). The process of S14 is an example of a second display process, and the process of S15 is an example of a third reception process.

  The confirmation screen 120 is an example of a second screen for confirming whether or not the installable label application is to be installed immediately through the installation icon 117. The confirmation screen 120 includes a message “A specified device can be used with the [label] app. Do you want to install it?”, A [Yes] icon 121, and a [No] icon 122. [Label] in the message corresponds to the application ID “label” of the label application that can be installed through the installation icon 117. In addition, the confirmation screen 120 according to the present embodiment is a pop-up window that is displayed so as to overlap the main screen of FIG.

  Then, the terminal program 65 installs the label application in the portable terminal 50 in response to accepting the designation of the [Yes] icon 121 through the input I / F 54 (S15: Yes) (S16). More specifically, the terminal program 65 activates the installer 67 by specifying the application URL associated with the installation icon 117 as an argument. The tap of the [Yes] icon 121 is an example of a first operation corresponding to an instruction to install a label application. The process of S16 is an example of a first installation process.

  Next, the installer 67 activated by the terminal program 65 acquires the application URL specified as an argument. Next, the installer 67 downloads an executable file whose location is indicated by the acquired application URL from the server, and stores the downloaded executable file in a predetermined area of the memory 62. Then, the installer 67 sets “installed” in the installation information corresponding to the application ID “label”, and ends the process.

  Next, the terminal program 65 replaces the installation icon 117 added to the main screen in S41 with an SC icon corresponding to the label application activation instruction installed in S16 (S17). The SC icon added to the main screen in S17 is an example of a first activation object. Then, the terminal program 65 hides the confirmation screen 120 and causes the display 53 to display the main screen in which the installation icon 117 in FIG.

  On the other hand, the terminal program 65 skips the processing of S16 to S17 in response to accepting the designation of the [No] icon 122 through the input I / F 54 (S15: No), hides the confirmation screen 120, The main screen of FIG. 7B is displayed on the display 53. The tap of the [No] icon 122 is an example of a second operation corresponding to an instruction not to install the label application.

  Next, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation on the main screen through the input I / F 54 (S18 to S23). The processing of S18 to S23 for the main screen in FIG. 7B is an example of second reception processing. Note that the device selection process (S18: Yes → S24) executed in response to the designation of the switching icon 115 is the same as that described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  In response to the designation of the operation icon 111 shown in FIG. 7B being accepted through the input I / F 54 (S19: Yes), the terminal program 65 instructs the designated device to perform a sheet print operation corresponding to the operation icon 111. Operation instruction processing is performed (S25). Although illustration of the operation instruction process is omitted, the terminal program 65 inputs a user operation for designating one of a plurality of image data stored in the memory 62 or a server (not shown) on the Internet as designated data. Accept through / F54. Then, the terminal program 65 transmits print instruction information to the MFP 10B, which is the designated device, via the communication I / F 55. The print instruction information is an example of operation instruction information for instructing execution of a print operation for specified data. The print instruction information includes, for example, designation data.

  On the other hand, the apparatus program 35 of the MFP 10 </ b> B receives print instruction information from the portable terminal 50 through the communication I / F 25. Then, the device program 35 causes the printer 11 to execute a printing operation according to the received print instruction information. That is, the printer 11 records the image indicated by the designation data included in the print instruction information on the sheet.

  Further, the terminal program 65 installs the label application in the portable terminal 50 in response to receiving the designation of the installation icon 117 through the input I / F 54 (S21: Yes) (S27). The process of S27 is an example of a first installation process, and may be the same as S16. Further, the terminal program 65 activates the label application corresponding to the SC icon in response to accepting designation of the SC icon (not shown) through the input I / F 54 (S20: Yes) (S26). The process of S26 when the main screen of FIG. 7B is displayed is an example of a first activation process, and is the same as the above description.

  Further, when the terminal program 65 receives designation of an instruction icon (not shown) through the input I / F 54 (S22: Yes), the terminal program 65 is located at the instruction URL associated with the designated instruction icon. The displayed screen file is received from the server via the communication I / F 55, and an unillustrated help screen indicated by the received screen file is displayed on the display 53 (S28). The help screen is an example of a third screen showing an operation procedure of the designated device for executing the label print operation. The process of S28 is an example of a third display process.

  Further, the terminal program 65 performs the application introduction process in response to receiving the designation of the [application] icon 116 shown in FIG. 7A or 7B through the input I / F 54 (S23: Yes). Execute (S29). The application introduction process is a process for introducing the existence of the external program 66 that can be activated by the terminal program 65 to the user. Details of the application introduction process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the terminal program 65 displays the application introduction screen shown in FIG. 8B on the display 53 (S61). The application introduction screen is an example of a fifth screen including application icons 131, 132, and 133. The application icons 131 to 133 are examples of program objects corresponding to one of the prograph records registered in the program list. That is, application icons 131 to 133 corresponding to the number of program records are displayed on the application introduction screen. Then, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation for the application introduction screen through the input I / F 54 (S62). The process of S61 is an example of a fifth display process, and the process of S62 is an example of a fifth reception process.

  Next, when the terminal program 65 receives a user operation for designating an application icon through the input I / F 54 (S62: Yes), the external program 66 indicated by the program record corresponding to the designated application icon is displayed. It is determined whether it is already installed in the portable terminal 50 (S63). That is, the terminal program 65 may determine the setting value of the installation information of the program record corresponding to the designated application icon. The process of S63 is an example of a fourth determination process.

  Then, in response to the fact that “installed” is set in the installation information of the program record (S63: Yes), the terminal program 65 activates the external program 66 indicated by the program record (S64). The process of S64 is an example of a third activation process, and may be the same as S26. On the other hand, the terminal program 65 installs the external program 66 indicated by the program record in response to the fact that “not installed” is set in the installation information of the program record (S63: No) (S65). The process of S65 is an example of a second installation process, and may be the same as S16 and S27.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
According to the above embodiment, the SC icon corresponding to the external program 66 that can instruct the designated device to perform an image processing operation is displayed on the main screen. That is, it is possible to make the user recognize the existence of the external program 66 that can effectively use the function of the designated device among a large number of external programs 66 disclosed on the Internet. Since the external program 66 is activated by designating the SC icon, the designated device can be used effectively with a simple user operation.

  Further, on the main screen according to the above embodiment, an operation icon 111 corresponding to a sheet print operation that can be instructed by the terminal program 65 and an SC icon corresponding to a label print operation that cannot be instructed by the terminal program 65 are displayed. The That is, it is possible to make the user recognize the presence of a label application that can instruct a label print operation that is not supported by the terminal program 65. In other words, even when an MFP 10B capable of executing a label print operation that is not supported by the terminal program 65 is designated as the designated device, the designated device can be used effectively.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, when the label application is not installed in the portable terminal 50, the installation icon associated with the application URL included in advance in the designated device information is displayed on the main screen. Then, by specifying the install icon, the executable file whose location is indicated by the application URL is installed. Thereby, even if a user does not search for the location of the execution file of a label application, a label application can be installed in the portable terminal 50. That is, the user operation for installing the label application can be simplified.

  Further, according to the above embodiment, when an installation icon is added to the main screen (S13: present), the confirmation screen 120 is displayed prior to accepting a user operation on the main screen (S14). Thereby, since the user can be prompted to install the label application, the function of the designated device can be used more effectively.

  Note that the SC icon and the installation icon are desirably displayed in a manner that the user can visually distinguish them on the main screen. As an example, the “mode that can be visually distinguished” may be that the appearance (for example, the shape and color of the icon) of the SC icons 113 and 114 and the installation icon 117 are different as shown in FIG. As another example, “an aspect that can be visually distinguished” may be that an area for displaying the SC icons 113 and 114 and an area for displaying the installation icon 117 may be provided at different positions on the main screen. This allows the user to recognize at a glance whether or not the external program 66 corresponding to the icon is installed.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the instruction icon is added to the main screen when there is no external program 66 that can instruct the target action. Thereby, it is possible to make the user recognize how the target device can be executed by operating the designated device. Note that the terminal program 65 is not limited to displaying the help screen by analyzing the screen file itself, and may instruct a browser program (not shown) to display the help screen. That is, the terminal program 65 starts the browser program by specifying the instruction URL associated with the instruction icon as an argument. Then, the browser program activated by the terminal program 65 acquires the instruction URL specified as an argument, and executes the above-described processing instead of the terminal program 65.

  In the above embodiment, the main screen before the designation device is designated is an operation icon 111 corresponding to an image processing operation that can be instructed to the MFP 10 by the terminal program 65, as shown in FIG. 112 and SC icons 113 and 114 corresponding to the external program 66 installed in the portable terminal 50. Thereby, the user can be made to recognize the image processing operation that can be instructed by the terminal program 65 and the external program 66 that the terminal program 65 can start at the present time.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the application introduction screen is displayed triggered by the user specifying the [application] icon 116. The application introduction screen displays an external program 66 that can start the terminal program 65 regardless of whether or not an image processing operation can be instructed to the designated device and whether or not it is currently installed in the portable terminal 50. Since the application icons 131 to 133 are displayed as a list, it is possible to make the user recognize the existence of the external program 66 in a multifaceted manner.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which designated device information stored in advance in the MFP 10 is acquired has been described. However, the acquisition destination of the designated device information is not limited to the designated device. As another example, the designated device information of the MFP 10 may include model information indicating the model of the MFP 10 instead of the operation list. A server (not shown) on the Internet may store model information and an action list in association with each other. Then, the terminal program 65 may receive device information including model information from the designated device. Further, the terminal program 65 may transmit the transmission request information including the model information received from the designated device to the server through the communication I / F 55. Further, the terminal program 65 may receive an operation list corresponding to the model information from the server through the communication I / F 55 as a response to the transmission request information. This process is an example of an acquisition process.

  Further, in the MFP 10 and the portable terminal 50 of the above-described embodiment, an example in which each process executed by the controller of the present invention is realized by the CPUs 31 and 61 executing various programs stored in the memories 32 and 62. explained. However, the configuration of the controller is not limited to this, and part or all of the configuration may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit.

  Furthermore, the present invention may be realized not only as the MFP 10 and the portable terminal 50 but also as a program that causes the MFP 10 and the portable terminal 50 to execute processing. Then, the program may be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may include a storage unit mounted on a server that can be connected to the MFP 10 and the portable terminal 50 through the communication network 101 in addition to a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, and the like. And the program memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the server may be distributed through the communication networks 101, such as the internet, as the information or signal which shows the said program.

10 ... MFP
11 ... Printer 12 ... Scanner 23, 53 ... Display 24, 54 ... Input I / F
25, 55 ... Communication I / F
31, 61 ... CPU
32, 62 ... Memory 35 ... Device program 50 ... Portable terminal 65 ... Terminal program 66 ... External program 67 ... Installer

Claims (11)

A program that can be executed by a mobile terminal including a communication interface, an input interface, and a display,
The program
A first accepting process for accepting a user operation for designating one of a plurality of image processing devices communicable through the communication interface as a designated device through the input interface;
Causing the portable terminal to execute acquisition processing for acquiring designated device information including a set of an operation ID and a program ID, and the operation ID identifies a target operation that is an image processing operation that can be executed by the designated device, and The program ID identifies a target program that can instruct the designated device to perform the target operation among external programs that can be installed on the mobile terminal.
The program
A first display process for causing the display to display a first screen including a first activation object corresponding to the target program;
A second receiving process for receiving a user operation for designating an object displayed on the first screen through the input interface;
A program for causing the portable terminal to execute a first activation process for activating the target program in response to the first activation object being designated in the second reception process. The program
Causing the portable terminal to execute a first determination process for determining whether the program can instruct the target operation to the designated device;
In the first display process when it is determined that an instruction is impossible in the first determination process, the first screen including the first activation object is displayed.
In the first display process when it is determined that an instruction is possible in the first determination process, the first screen including the first action object corresponding to the target action is displayed.
In response to the designation of the first action object in the second reception process, action instruction processing for sending action instruction information for instructing execution of the target action to the designated device through the communication interface. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is executed. The set includes first address information indicating a location of an executable file of the target program in a server on the Internet,
The program
Causing the mobile terminal to execute a second determination process for determining whether the target program is already installed in the mobile terminal;
In the first display process when it is determined that it is already installed in the second determination process, the first screen including the first activation object is displayed.
In the first display process when it is determined in the second determination process that it is not yet installed, the first screen including the install object corresponding to the first address information is displayed.
A request for causing the portable terminal to execute a first installation process for installing the executable file whose location is indicated by the first address information in the portable terminal in response to the installation object being designated in the second reception process. Item 3. The program according to item 1 or 2. The program
A second display process for displaying on the display a second screen for confirming whether or not to install the target program in response to determining that the target program is not yet installed in the second determination process;
A third receiving process for receiving the first operation or the second operation on the second screen through the input interface;
In response to receiving the first operation in the third reception process, the portable terminal is caused to execute the first installation process prior to the first display process,
In the first display process when the first operation is received in the third reception process, the first screen including the first activation object is displayed,
The program according to claim 3, wherein in the first display process when the second operation is received in the third reception process, the first screen including the installation object is displayed.   The program according to claim 3 or 4, wherein in the first display process, the first activation object and the installation object are displayed in a manner that can be visually distinguished. The set may include, in place of the program ID, second address information indicating a location of a screen file indicating a procedure for causing the designated device to execute the target operation in a server on the Internet.
The program
Causing the portable terminal to execute a third determination process for determining whether or not the program ID is included in the designated device information;
In the first display process when it is determined that it is included in the third determination process, the first screen including the first activation object is displayed,
In the first display process when it is determined that it is not included in the third determination process, the first screen including the help object corresponding to the second address information is displayed.
A third display process for causing the display to display a third screen indicated by the screen file whose location is indicated by the second address information in response to the help object being specified in the second reception process; The program according to claim 1, which is executed by a mobile terminal. The program is executed before the designated device is designated in the first reception process.
A fourth screen including a second action object corresponding to the image processing action that the program can instruct the image processing apparatus and a second activation object corresponding to the external program installed in the portable terminal; A fourth display process to be displayed on the display;
A fourth receiving process for receiving a user operation for designating the object displayed on the fourth screen through the input interface;
7. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein a second activation process for activating the corresponding external program is executed by the portable terminal in response to the second activation object being designated in the fourth reception process. 8. Program. The program
A fifth display process for causing the display to display a fifth screen including a plurality of program objects corresponding to the external program that can be activated by the program;
A fifth accepting process for accepting a user operation for designating the object displayed on the fifth screen through the input interface;
A fourth determination process for determining whether the corresponding external program is installed in the portable terminal in response to the program object being designated in the fifth reception process;
A third activation process for activating the external program in response to determining that it is installed in the fourth determination process;
8. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the portable terminal is caused to execute a second installation process for installing the external program on the portable terminal in response to the determination that the fourth program is not installed. Program. The designated device information includes a plurality of the sets,
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein in the first display process, the first screen including the plurality of objects each corresponding to one of the plurality of sets is displayed.   The program according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the program receives the designated device information from the designated device through the communication interface in the acquisition process. A communication interface;
An input interface;
Display,
A portable terminal comprising a controller,
The controller is
A first accepting process for accepting a user operation for designating one of a plurality of image processing devices communicable through the communication interface as a designated device through the input interface;
Acquisition processing for acquiring specified device information including a set of operation ID and program ID, the operation ID identifies a target operation that is an image processing operation that can be executed by the specified device, and the program ID is: Among the external programs that can be installed in the mobile terminal, identify the target program that can instruct the target device to the target operation,
The controller is
A first display process for causing the display to display a first screen including a first activation object corresponding to the target program;
A second receiving process for receiving a user operation for designating an object displayed on the first screen through the input interface;
The portable terminal which performs the 1st starting process which starts the said object program according to the said 1st starting object being designated by the said 2nd reception process.

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